


The Nature of Gods

by Breadsmithing



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Character Study, Fictional Religion & Theology, Gen, Original setting, i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 13:50:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13719030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Breadsmithing/pseuds/Breadsmithing
Summary: Gods tend to be fickle things. Can anyone really comprehend their motives, thoughts, and actions?A collection of shorts on deities and their followers.





	1. The Seasons

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This will be a collection of (very) short stories about or related to the gods of my campaign/setting. This story will probably be pretty sporadically updated. It will also contain characters that may show up or be mentioned in some of my other, yet to be posted, series.

Kailey sighed as she surveyed the barren field.

“What’d we do to deserve this, Keeper?” the man to her left asked. He was old, some kind of elder the villagers looked to for guidance. The panic in his voice suggested a fear he hadn’t felt before.

“I’m no Keeper anymore, Tihomir.” Holy warriors generally don’t live in the middle of fucking nowhere, after all. “I have no idea what you could have done. Drought’s been pretty bad throughout Gusan. Probably just a bad year.”

“This isn’t some kind of drought, ma’am! We’ve had rain, we’ve worked the fields, we’ve done what we could and we have nothing!” Tihomir exclaimed. The old man stomped off to talk with another villager beginning to feed her chickens.

Kailey gazed up to the sky for a moment, then walked after Tihomir.

“I’ve no idea about anyone in this village Tihomir, you’ve got to give me something if you actually think something strange is happening. I can’t find a cause without any information.”

Tihomir turned, tears in his eyes. “No one here could be responsible! Maybe some bastard we’ve sent away, those bastards could – “

“Who’d you send away, and why are they gone?” Kailey asked.

Tihomir glared, “Maria’s daughter kept sneakin’ away late at night, someone said they saw her casting hexes and magics near the woods. Near where you hide out,” he spat. “We’ve sent away her and a couple vagabonds who were beggin’ for supplies, no one that could have done this. We’ve left offerings to the Seasons, nothing but real foul magic could have done this.”

Kailey glared at the man, “You’ve reaped what you’ve sowed it seems. The Seasons couldn’t give a damn about your offerings. You’ve betrayed your fellow people, your very nature,” she snarled. “How about you start by bringing those folks back and helping your community. Share what food you have with all the village and those travelers, and maybe mercy will be bestowed on you. The Seasons aren’t some embodiment of nature, they are nature. You need to act in accord with nature, including human nature. We make communities, Tihomir, and we don’t abandon those in need.”

Kailey walked furiously back towards the woods.

It was a half-truth. Humans were also by nature paranoid and occasionally filled with a terrible fear of the unknown, of the outsider. Kailey was no theological genius, but she believed that the Seasons would prefer good over evil.

If they didn’t, then why the fuck did she serve them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Leave a comment or Kudos if you'd like!


	2. Desperation

The Shelf of Karcali was always beautiful in the mornings. The sun rose between twin spires and bathed the massive stone courtyard in brilliant orange. This held true, even on the morning of an execution.

A large crowd gathered on the outskirts of the courtyard, all eyes on the emperor on his bench and the High Wardens of the Seasons at his sides.

Before the emperor stood a young man, black of hair, a long scar running up the left side of his face to an empty eye socket. His arms and feet in manacles.

Pushing to the front of the crowd were four young nobles. Two very young adults – a man and woman – dragging two young girls behind them. The two girls Miri and Addi were the daughters of the man before the emperor, and the couple dragging them their cousins.

Cousins that seemed all too eager to see this trial.

They tried to cover Miri and Addi’s ears, to hide the booming accusations of an emperor. High heresy and conspiracy to commit regicide.

They tried to shield the children’s eyes .

They tried to keep smiles from their face as they watched their uncle’s head roll over the cobble.

They failed.

* * *

The emperor had revoked the claims of the two young girls – after the rest of the executions – and gave the throne of Zanin to their eldest cousin. He and his wife were quite eager to get to their newly-received kingdom and left Karcali as soon as the emperor proclaimed them true royalty. With their cousins and royal guard in tow, of course.

It was a long trip by wagon, about a week, probably less at the pace they were travelling. The group stuck mostly to civilized roads and stopped in reputable towns for the night. There was just one night where they had to stop by the road and make camp.

The girls stayed out with the guards, rather than stay in the wagon. The guards at least were familiar and kind, unlike their cousins.

As the night wore on, Miri, the younger of the siblings, fell asleep while Addi kept chatting with the couple guards standing watch.

Addi was just beginning to nod off as a breeze rippled through the campsite and she heard it.

_“Adania,” _a voice spoke, barely distinguishable from the wind.__

____

Addi perked up and looked hazily for the voice. No one used her real name, not unless they were angry with her.

__

She stood and walked carefully around the guards, now all asleep, and tried to find where the voice came from.

__

_“Adania,” _louder this time.__

_____ _

She looked and saw a large gap in the tree lines. Nothing but darkness in between. She walked through.

_____ _

She walked for what seemed like hours, the voice occasionally calling her. Finally, she walked through a large gap in the trees to a massive mouth of a cave in a moonlit clearing.

_____ _

She checked behind her for her path. There was no gap in the trees.

_____ _

_“Adania.” ___

_______ _ _ _

She walked in.

_______ _ _ _

“Who are you? Where are you?” Addi questioned into the darkness.

_______ _ _ _

Braziers lit on either side of a smooth path to a large, flat stone surface. Runes glowed angrily all along the path and on the cave walls. The cave smelled like the air before a large thunderstorm. It felt like lightning was about to strike, but never did. 

_______ _ _ _

_“Adania. Do you miss your father?” _The voice asked, louder but still quiet amongst the humming in the room and the crackling of the braziers.__

_________ _ _ _ _ _

“Yes! Desperately!” Addi answered.

_________ _ _ _ _ _

She slowly approached the stone slab in the back of the cave. The slab was completely smooth, there were no runes, nor did it glow.

_________ _ _ _ _ _

Atop the stone lied a massive, jagged sword, shattered into fragments.

_________ _ _ _ _ _

_“Do you want to punish those who took him from you? Who lied about his actions?” _The voice asked slowly. It was the only thing Addi could hear, it filled her mind completely. _“Do you want vengeance?” _____

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Yes! Of course I do!” She yelled into the cave, tears streaming down her face.

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Then we have much to do.” ___

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

* * *

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Miri and the royal guards searched for Addi for most of the next day. Eventually, one guard managed to procure a hunting dog from a nearby village and gave it one of Addi’s shoes to catch her scent.

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The dog took the guard and deep into the woods to an empty clearing. There were no traces of Addi here, or anything really.

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Several guards stuck behind to scour the surrounding forest and nearby villages. They never found Addi.

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave a comment or Kudos if you'd like!


End file.
